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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635020">Better With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/amysteryspot/pseuds/amysteryspot'>amysteryspot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prompted Works [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Peaky Blinders (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Best Friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, If you consider all the time he spent pinning after her, Is it? Really? It's just a brief mention of a sex scene but I just want to be sure, Jealousy, Mentions of War, Mild Smut, Slow Burn, Swearing, mentions of drinking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:20:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/amysteryspot/pseuds/amysteryspot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas has known Kathleen for all of her life and loved her for most part of his, always disguising his claim on her as friendly protectiveness. What happens when Michael makes his way back into the family and starts to get a little too close to her for Tommy’s liking?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prompted Works [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Better With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Request:</b> <i>If you can could you please do one about Tommy having a sort of possessive claim over you (not in an abusive way of course) even though you’ve never looked at him in that way, and when Michael comes into the family again you two get close, which makes Tommy extremely jealous.</i><br/><b>Requested by:</b> <i>Anonymous</i> (on Tumblr)</p><p>Things you should consider before reading this:<br/><b>1.</b> I named the Shelby’s mother Anastasia because I felt like I needed to do that. Also, I know that there is a lot of discussion about Finn and the rest of the Shelbys having the same mother or not. I just assumed that they all have the same mother and she died a little after giving birth to Finn. It is not something groundbreaking for the fic but I wanted to clarify just in case.<br/><b>2.</b> The boys went to war right at the beginning of it; I just ignored the information given to us by “The Ballad of Tommy Shelby”.<br/><b>3.</b> This was posted on Tumblr (@amysteryspot) as a Reader Insert, but that's how I usually write things - with an OC.<br/><b>4.</b> I probably forgot to warn you about something, I’m sorry.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If you asked Tommy how long he had known Kathleen Sheppard, he wouldn’t know how to answer—fuck, it seemed like the woman had been in his life forever.</p><p>He remembered the day his mother had brought him to the Sheppard’s house for them to meet the new baby. Four-year-old Tommy had complained all the way to their neighbor’s house, much to his older brother’s amusement, until their mother had given him a scolding. Kathleen’s birth had been the talk of Watery Lane. They finally had a sweet little girl for the neighborhood to dote on.</p><p>With two sons, Anastasia was more than happy to welcome the little girl into their lives, not so secretly longing to have a daughter, and that was the reason for Tommy to be fussing over going to see the newborn—<em>jealousy</em>.</p><p>However, nothing could have prepared little Tommy for what was about to happen when his mother sat him down on the couch and Mrs. Sheppard put the bundle of covers in his arms—his icy blue eyes stared down at baby Kathleen, who stopped crying instantly when she looked up at him with bright blue eyes of her own. From that moment on, Tommy knew that he would always love her.</p><p>And love her he did, since that day and throughout all of their lives. He would raise hell at home for his mother to bring him to the Sheppard’s home so he could see Kathleen, and the three adults would all be astonished at how easily the baby would stop crying when she was in his arms. It wasn’t really a surprise that the first word she babbled was <em>“Tom”</em> or that when she started walking, on wobbly feet, it was Tommy she was seeking.</p><p>As they grew up, they grew closer, until it became almost impossible to have one without the other. When Ada was born, Tommy was worried about the possibility that Kathleen would forget about him, that she would be too enchanted by having another girl around. Instead, as the time passed, he discovered that his little sister was one more reason for Kathleen to spend more time at the Shelby home.</p><p>Even when he started messing around with the boys on the street, and she befriended other girls at school, they would still seek each other out whenever they could. They stuck together when their teenage years came, when Tommy started fooling around with girls from school and secretly scaring down most of the boys that showed any interest in Kathleen.</p><p>At least, he did until the day she came crying to him about not being good enough or pretty enough for anybody, not like the girls he would go out with, and breaking his heart; that certainly wasn’t what he had in mind when chasing down the boys. All he had wanted was to protect her, to make sure that she wouldn’t exchange him for some other boy. He wanted to ensure that she was his and his only.</p><p>That was actually the reason that led to their first kiss—<em>her</em> first kiss—Kath had asked him, <em>pleaded with him</em>, through all the tears to just kiss her and get it done. Fifteen-year-old Kathleen was sure that nobody would ever want her, and she wanted to experience it at least once. She told Tommy he was the only one she trusted with the task.</p><p><em>“It will mean nothing to you, Tom. You have kissed a million other girls already</em>—<em>I will just be another one for you</em>—<em>but it’s important to me. Please, Tom? Please, please.”</em></p><p>Her pleas had won him over, but Kathleen’s words couldn’t have been further from the truth—the kiss had meant something for him. It had meant more than he predicted when he gave in to her begging, because the moment their lips touched, Tommy realized he was in love with his best friend and the worst part was that she didn’t had a fucking clue about it.</p><p>Then Tommy did what he did best; he pretended that it never happened, pushing it away and never talking to anyone about the kiss or his feelings. He stopped chasing down the boys who would show interest in Kathleen and watched as she eventually started going out with some of them, laughing with him about how stupid she was to think that no one would ever like her.</p><p>When her first boyfriend got too handsy and she broke up with him—not before giving him a good left hook that left him with a very black eye, just like Tommy had taught her—Kathleen had gone straight to the Shelby home, looking for comfort in his arms. Tommy pretended that the gnawing feeling in his chest was nothing but brotherly protectiveness instead of anger, jealousy and possessiveness—a destructive combination, especially on a Shelby boy.</p><p>Kathleen had stayed with him that night, and the both of them slept together like they used to when they were kids. First thing in the morning the next day, right after he left her at her own house, he found her now ex-boyfriend and beat him up. Arthur and Freddie had to get him off of the guy, afraid of what he would end up doing if they didn’t stop him.</p><p>After that, Tommy had focused on channeling his frustrations into going out with every girl in town that wasn’t her. It wasn’t difficult, he was good looking and charming and he was very aware of it; that’s how he met Greta, and thought that he could get over his feelings for his best friend with her.</p><p>Greta’s parents were against their involvement at first, but he charmed them, so they started dating. His heart broke down when Kathleen found out and showed genuine happiness for him having finally found somebody to settle down with.</p><p>Tommy’s plan was to end things between them. However, Greta fell ill and he didn’t have the heart to break up with her, so he stayed by her side until she passed. Kathleen gave him support in the only way she knew how: by loving him.</p><p>Just not in the way he wanted her to.</p><p>When they thought that things would go back to normal, the War exploded and Tommy did the only thing he considered right in his eyes: he enlisted alongside his brothers. Their first fight had taken place on the night he told her he was leaving for France in two weeks. Kathleen had hit and screamed at him until he was able to take a hold on her and then, then she cried in his arms the whole night, afraid that she would lose him forever.</p><p>They did the best they could with those two weeks. Once more, nothing could have prepared Tommy for Kathleen’s appeal the night before he was shipping to France. She had come to him right after dinner. Her father was preparing himself to leave, too, and both of the Sheppard women were enjoying whatever time they had left with him before he was gone.</p><p>As they both laid there in his bed, resting in each other’s arms and staring at the ceiling, Kathleen made the decision that would seal his fate if he could survive the war.</p><p>
  <em>“Make love to me.”</em>
</p><p>It wasn’t a question, nor a request—she was simply telling him to make love to her like this was the most logical thing in the world. His breath caught in his throat, preventing him from answering at first, and Kath took that as a cue to reassure him.</p><p>
  <em>“It will be like my first kiss, Tommy, just something I have to get over with. I want it to be you. I trust you. Let me give you at least one last good memory of me before you go.”</em>
</p><p>Again, he caved in, not needing much more convincing than the certainty in her eyes as she looked down at him, propped up on one elbow. Her hand rested unintentionally above his heart. Granting her wishes, he let himself dive into his own desires, touching her the way he had wanted since they had kissed for the first time.</p><p>He worked her body like a delicate instrument and pulled at her strings smoothly, engraving every beautiful sound that he coaxed out of her and the feel of her under his fingertips in his memory. When morning came, they were still a mess of limbs intertwined together, trying to hold on to a last thread of hope and imprint the last few hours on their memories.</p><p>In a way, Kathleen was right. The boy that entered that train in 1914 wasn’t the same that got out of it in 1918. Yet, his love for her never faltered; it just became a tad more… dangerous.</p><p>Thomas lost count of how many letters they had exchanged during the past four years. He lost count of how many times he dreamt of her, of coming back home and telling her how he felt. However, any courage he had gathered vanished the moment he saw her waiting for him at the train station. He couldn’t condemn her to a life by his side, he had already taken enough from her.</p><p>Polly had told him in her letters how Kath had helped her with the business, with the house, with Finn, and with any other thing she could. Especially after her mother, who had given up on life after Mr. Sheppard was killed in combat, passed. A part of him felt guilty for not being there for her as much as she was for him when his mother passed and his father left.</p><p>
  <em>“She’s a Shelby now.”</em>
</p><p>That’s what Polly had said when he asked her if Kathleen had any remaining family.</p><p>Not much changed when they returned. Kath still worked with them. She spent more time at the Shelby home and the gambling den than at her own place. The two of them still sought each other out, not talking much, but enjoying each other’s company. It was in those quiet moments with her that Tommy had a little peace.</p><p>Thomas drowned himself in work to forget it all, wanting to expand the business, unleashing his ambitions so long smothered by the war. They found the guns, in a strike of luck, he thought. Both Polly and Kathleen advised him to let it go, but he just couldn’t. It was too good of an opportunity.</p><p>Campbell had come because of it, and with him, Grace. At the time, he didn’t know who she really was. He thought that the beautiful, blonde barmaid was just that: beautiful and innocent, everything he and his family were not. So he fooled himself, fell for her, and then she betrayed him and left for America.</p><p>Again, Kathleen was there for him, and again, he found himself sinking into his love for her. The only good thing that came from all this mess was that the business was never better. He thought that it was time to start planning for an expansion, and with that came another thing that he hadn’t quite predicted—<em>Michael</em>.</p><p>He had planned to find Polly’s children for her. She had been suffering quite a lot lately. Even if people thought that his heart was as good as gone, he wanted his family to be okay. He wanted them to be happy.</p><p>Thomas found the boy and he came to Polly, making his way into the family and the business quickly. That included starting to get close to Kathleen – <em>too fucking close for his liking</em>.</p><p>It was supposed to be natural, he knew that. Kathleen kept the books at the shop. She was better with numbers than most of them, so it was natural that she would be the one to help Michael when he assumed the position of accounts clerk.</p><p>After they came back, he learned that Kathleen had become very good at sneaking around without getting caught. It was rare to see her with any men whose last name wasn’t Shelby, or wasn’t closely related to the Peaky Blinders. That didn’t mean she didn’t have men swooning over her all the time, or that he was finally okay with that—much like when they were teenagers, he wanted to chase them all down—the only difference was now he was more deadly.</p><p>“I couldn’t have done it without you.”</p><p>It was Michael’s voice that brought him back to reality, and his gaze fell immediately on the boy. They were all gathered on the snug in the Garrison. Kathleen was sitting between him and Michael, Tommy’s arm casually rested on her shoulders.</p><p>Kathleen said, “Oh, no, you would totally get it... after a few more weeks.”</p><p>Everyone burst out laughing at her remark, but the only thing he could think about was the hand Michael rested on Kathleen’s thigh. His own hand clenched around his glass before he downed the rest of its contents.</p><p>He didn’t notice Polly’s gaze on him. Despite what most people believed, Tommy had never been a good liar. He could get away with omitting information to people and redirecting the conversation, most of the time, but a direct confrontation was a completely different thing. Polly was always able to read him first, to know the things he wasn’t willing to share.</p><p>“Maybe we should just hire you instead of Michael, then.” He ignored the look Kathleen gave him, taking another drag of his cigarette and looking away.</p><p>However, he couldn’t miss the lingering touches, or how Kath leaned into Michael when he talked to her, and how she was just so comfortable with him. It made his blood boil.</p><p>When Kath said she wanted to get home he offered to walk her, and was fairly surprised at how she didn’t say a word to him until they reached her front door.</p><p>Then she turned to face him, features painted with anger, and asked, “What the hell was that, Tom?”</p><p>He actually rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</p><p>Kathleen huffed, turning around to unlock the door before entering the house, leaving it open for him to follow. She went straight to the dressing room, shedding her coat and throwing it at the table with her purse as he followed her closely.</p><p>“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”</p><p>She was taking her shoes off, and Tommy took advantage of the moment to let his eyes follow her movements. God, was he in love with that woman.</p><p>“I’m talking about your attitude with Michael at the Garrison. That was completely unnecessary,” She said.</p><p>“Someone had to put that boy in his place,” Tommy said.</p><p>Kathleen turned to him then, and he would be worried with that look if he hadn’t been at the receiving end of her anger for so many years.</p><p>“Oh, please enlighten me, <em>Thomas</em>. What is his place?” Kathleen asked.</p><p>“For fucks sake, Kath, he was all over you!”</p><p> She rolled her eyes. “He is a boy, Thomas, <em>a boy</em>. He’s family…”</p><p>Tommy never thought that what would make him snap would be hearing her say that Michael was family, but apparently it was.</p><p>“He’s family, huh?” Thomas said. “He is <em>fucking</em> family! Then he should know better and stay away from you.”</p><p>She stared at him for a moment, brow furrowed, as she seemed to put the puzzle together in her head. “Why would he stay away from me, Tom?”</p><p>He turned around to face away from her for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face. “No, no. You won’t make me feel guilty for that.”</p><p>“Make you feel guilty for what, Tommy?”</p><p>He recognized the hint of annoyance on her tone and couldn’t ignore it anymore, the alcohol giving him the courage that he had lost that day on the train station, as he turned around and shouted, “For loving you!”</p><p>She held her breath, eyes widening as she stared back at him.</p><p>Tommy continued, “Michael should stay away from you because you’re fucking mine and I love you.”</p><p>“Tommy, I’m not your property, and you know that I love you…”</p><p>“No, you don’t,” he interrupted her, making her look at him with confusion, “You don’t love me the way I love you. The way I’ve loved you since the fucking day you asked me to kiss you when you were fifteen!”</p><p>He saw her flinch before murmuring his name, trying to gain his attention but he couldn’t stop now. The truth was finally out there and he just had to go on with it, let it all out before he lost his mind.</p><p>“You said to me that it would mean nothing, that it would be just another kiss for me, but you were wrong,” Tommy said, his breaths short.</p><p>She looked bewildered, and Tommy held onto a strand of hope he didn’t even know still existed.</p><p>“That kiss meant fucking everything. From that day on, I’ve never seen you in the same way as before, because I realized I was in love with you and you didn’t feel the same. So I ignored these feelings while I saw you going out with boys, and I’ve thrown myself into fucking every girl that wasn’t you because I knew I couldn’t have you, not the way I wanted.”</p><p>Tommy didn’t notice that he was walking to her until they were just a breath apart.</p><p>“Then I found Greta, and I thought that I could forget you, but it only reminded me that you are the only one I want. I was going to break up with her, but she fell ill. You stayed by my side, and just when I thought that I would have a chance to tell you everything, the war happened and I just couldn’t. I couldn’t, because there was no way in hell that I was going to risk going to fight in France and die. I couldn’t leave you here to suffer because of me, either because you felt the same or not.”</p><p>“Tommy…” Kathleen’s voice was all but a whisper.</p><p>He couldn’t resist anymore, his hands brought her to him, his eyes observing hers from up close, not giving her time to talk or he would lose his courage.</p><p>“I was ready to go there and die, and never let you know how I felt. But you had to give me hope that night before I was shipped off to that fucking hell. You had to…”He took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a brief second, a flood of memories making his heart race faster. “You had to give yourself to me. You had to give me a taste of what I thought I could never have, to make me want to survive the fucking war, to come back to you, and to let you know about all of these stupid feelings.”</p><p>Tommy couldn’t wait anymore. He did the one thing he had wanted to since he had returned from France—he kissed her. It wasn’t gentle or patient; no, it was urgent and filled with passion and he didn’t know how to stop, not when she wasn’t pushing him away. He devoured her as a man starved, teeth clashing and hands grabbing at anything they could touch. They were both out of breath when they finally parted.</p><p>“You said that you wanted to give me one last good memory and it was that memory that kept me alive during most of the nights when I was stuck in the fucking mud,” Thomas said.</p><p>Kathleen’s fingers were clinging to him like her life depended on it, like she was afraid to lose him to the War again.</p><p>Tommy took the moment to let the words spill out. “The memory of you and the feeling of you under my fingers, and all around me, and the way you tasted.”</p><p>His lips brushed against hers, fingers clawing at the flesh of her hips like they had done the night before he left for France.</p><p>He backed her up against the wall, hands trailing down to the back of her thighs, picking her up and trapping her with his body.</p><p>Tommy looked straight to her eyes as he spoke again, “How you writhed under me, all the beautiful sounds you made, and I just wanted to come back to you and make some new memories.”</p><p>Kathleen shivered at his words. She gave him just a brief second to observe the rise and fall of her chest and her expanded pupils before he felt her fingers at the back of his head, forcing him to really look at her as she said, “Then let’s work on those new memories.”</p><p>Their lips clashed again, and every doubt that he ever felt vanished for a moment. That night their bodies moved together like old acquaintances, skin sliding against skin, hands gripping at each other, lips kissing every patch of skin while chanting a sinful choir of moans and curses alongside their names.</p><p>When Tommy woke up the next day, Kath in his arms, he realized that he was finally home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>An especial thanks to Dee (@the-friendly-editor on Tumblr) for helping me edit this, it meant a lot to me.<br/>If you liked it, please let me know. Your feedback is really important and makes me keep writing.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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